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The traditional rhinestone, named after the Rhine river on the German/Austrian border, is
colorless and made from glass, paste, or natural quartz.
In 1775, Frenchman George Frederic Stras came up with the idea of coating a portion of the
stone with a metallic powder, which gave the rhinestones a sparkle. Making each stone by
hand, he marketed them as "the poor man's diamond". The cost remained high due to the
slow production method.
Mass production of rhinestones started in 1892 when Daniel Swarovski, of the famous
Swarovski crystal family received a patent for a machine that automatically cut the stones.
This would eventually cause prices to fall into a very affordable range.
By 1895, Swarovski had set up a factory in Austria, and begun production of rhinestones of
superior quality and uniformity. He was later joined in the business by his three sons. Many innovations in the production of rhinestones followed.
By the time of Swarovski's death in 1956, the company was (and still is) the largest manufacturer and exporter of rhinestones. The Swarovski rhinestones are prized for their quality and brilliance to this day.
RHINESTONES ARE IN high demand because of their sparkle and brilliance. They continue
to grace millions of wedding gowns, formal and party dresses, skating and dancing costumes,
and countless pieces of costume jewelry.
Sizes::
Rhinestone sizes are specified using a universal "stone size" (ss) scale, ranging in size from
ss5 (1.7 to 1.9 millimeters in diameter) to ss48 (10.9 to 11.3 millimeters).
Colors:
Rhinestones come in a wide variety of bright sparkling colors. The most popular "color" is
Crystal, a clear colorless stone with a diamond-like sparkle. Another popular choice is AB
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